Betrayal
by Ranger Amethyst
Summary: Will is captured and barely escapes with his life. Halt finds him and unknowingly pulls Gilan, Alyss, Horace, and Jenny into a trap. Fist chapter is based on "Fix You" by Coldplay. Future chapters will have a flashback on what happened to Will, a trap, a betrayal, and some good old ladle-whacking. Rated T for future chapters. Formerly called "Us and Them", that will be the sequel!
1. Chapter 1

**_DISCLAIMER: I do not own the awesomeness that is Ranger's Apprentice, it belongs to John Flanagan, nor do I own the song "Fix You" which is by Coldplay. No copyright infringement intended._**

**_ALSO: My first actual fic that isn't adopted, please be critical but please don't flame me. I know that my grammar might be a bit off (spellcheck thinks it is, anyway) and the characters are probably way OOC._**

_ When you try your best but you don't succeed_

_When you get what you want but not what you need_

_When you feel so tired but you can't sleep_

_Stuck in reverse_

The 16-year-old boy crouched under a tree, shivering in the rainy darkness. Will had never felt so alone, confused and helpless. Halt would not have gotten himself captured. Halt would have fought back. Halt would have escaped. Yet Will couldn't fight back. He was just too weak to go against his captors.

Forcing himself to calm down, Will tried to assess his situation. His captors had let him go free. Good. He had no idea where on earth he was. Bad. He was without food or water. Very bad. He reached his hand up to his neck unconsciously. His oak leaf wasn't there. He doubled over like he'd been punched in the gut. The thing that had made him who he was. Gone. Completely gone.

_And the tears come streaming down your face_

_When you lose something you can't replace_

_When you love someone but it goes to waste_

_Could it be worse?_

Numbly, Will held the worn leather string that hung around his neck. It used to hold the one thing he had come to cherish. But it was gone. Torn off of its string by the thugs who had captured him. Will knew that he'd never get it back. He'd probably never get to go back to being the Ranger's apprentice either. With these thoughts, more rain began to fall, in the form of his tears, soaking into his already sopping clothes.

_Lights will guide you home_

_And ignite your bones_

_And I will try to fix you_

Halt stood at his window, the way he had every night for the past eight months. The lanterns were all burning, trying to set some light into his heart. How could he have lost Will? How could he not find him? Was Will even still alive? Halt had searched almost the entire kingdom looking for Will, almost to the point of ignoring his duties in his search for his apprentice—No, his son.

_And high up above or down below_

_ When you're too in love to let it go_

_ But if you never try you'll never know_

_ Just what you're worth _

Halt knew that it had already been 8 months, and that Will's chance of survival was practically none, but he still felt something, something that told him that Will was still alive. And so he would keep searching. Keep searching like a true father would.

_Lights will guide you home_

_ And ignite your bones_

_ And I will try to fix you_

Will, though he was exhausted, managed to stumble almost 2 kilometers before he tripped on another root and couldn't get up again. He started crying, as it seemed that this was the end, and that he'd failed. Failed in being a Ranger, in coming back to his master. What hurt more than that though, was that he found the strength to lift his head, only to see a light not more than ½ a kilometer ahead. He had been so close, but just fell short. 

_Tears stream down your face_

_ When you lose something you cannot replace_

_ Tears stream down your face _

_And I… _

Halt was crying. For only the 3rd time in his life, Halt was crying. He felt a tug in his heart as he realized his certainty that Will was alive was fading. Before the old Ranger knew what he was doing, he had donned his cloak and was racing outside, leaping bareback onto Abelard and urging the horse onwards. Call it fate, a blessing, or dumb luck, Halt was scanning the woods around him just as Will stumbled. Seeing the shape fall, Halt forced Abelard onwards, as fast as the horse had ever run, to get to it before that faint hope flickered and died.

_Tears stream down your face_

_ I promise you I will learn from my mistakes _

_Tears stream down your face _

_And I…_

Will, in his semi-conscious state, heard a faraway gruff voice talking at him. It was hard to hear the words, he strained to hear them, to catch whatever was being said. "Will. Will. It's alright. Everything's alright. You're safe now, Will. You're safe now."

_Lights will guide you home _

_And ignite your bones_

_ And I will try to fix you._

Halt could barely contain his relief as the figure that had fallen turned out to be Will. As he scooped up his apprentice's weak body, and Will's eyes fluttered open for a moment, then closed again. Halt allowed himself to smile. Will would be okay. Probably emotionally scarred, but time could fix that. Everything would be alright.

Lurking in the shadows, the man smiled and cackled evilly. Everything was going according to plan. Now he just had to wait for _them_ to show up.

**OOH, Cliffhanger. This was meant to be a one-shot, but my creative muse blessed me with the ending. Which means that I will update if y'all like it. Hey, if I get 3 reviews, I can almost guarantee 2 new chapters by the end of the week. Even if I don't get 3 reviews, I'll still get 1 new chapter up by the end of the week. **


	2. Chapter 2

**_DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN THE AWESOMNESS THAT IS RANGER'S APPRENTICE, IT BELONGS TO JOHN FLANAGAN._**

**_NOTE: Major thanks to my 3 reviewers and my 24 readers, I'm going to do 2 chapters today._**

_The man in the trees smiled and cackled evilly. Everything was going according to plan._

Horace

A creaking footstep near his bed and Horace was instantly awake. He sat bolt upright as a hand clamped over his mouth and a harsh, deep voice whispered in his ear. "Stand up quietly, and without a fuss." Horace thought about fighting, but decided against it. If he did, he'd just bring more trouble. The barracks were crowded, but not with his allies. If he shouted, everyone would wake up and probably alert his captor's backup too. A rope was wound around his arms, pinning them to his waist. The man then yanked hard on the rope, pulling Horace along.

Jenny

Jenny sat up slowly. She stretched and yawned. Something had woken her, but what was it? Without thinking, she reached over onto her nightstand for the 2 foot long oak ladle she always carried. The feel of the smooth wood in her hand always gave her comfort. Listening hard, she finally heard a creaking footstep, surprisingly near to her bed. The girl whipped her ladle up, flipped it over, and struck it down hearing a satisfying thwack and a gasp, followed by a thud as someone hit the floor. She heard scrabbling, and then the door opened and closed again. Jenny rolled over and fell asleep. She was looking forward to her day off with Will and Alyss, and especially Gilan… She had just drifted back to sleep when more footsteps came up. Still half-asleep, Jenny grabbed the ladle. WHACK! One of them groaned and fell, but the other came up behind her. He put his hand over her mouth, put a drop of liquid on her tongue, and held her mouth and nose shut until she swallowed. Immediately, the world started to spin for Jenny. Her eyes went out of focus, and she went unconscious.

Alyss

Alyss sat bolt upright. Something had spooked her out of a lovely dream. She got up, wincing as her bedsprings creaked. She reached for her bedside table where her small dagger lay, but before she could get her hand on it, a hand shot out of the darkness and covered her mouth. "Quiet. Not another move. You are coming with us." Alyss struggled and kicked at the man, only to find that he was holding her nose too and that she REALLY needed air. She kicked and tried to punch him, but before she could do much she ran out of air and collapsed on his boots in a dead faint. Laughing, the man picked Alyss's limp body up like a sack of potatoes and carried her outside.

**I AM A PAGEBREAK. DO NOT PAY ATTENTION TO ME, I AM MERELY A PAGEBREAK.**

The three men re-entered the forest. One had 2 egg-sized lumps on his head but was otherwise empty-handed. Someone rode up just behind him, with a chubby blonde girl slung over his saddlebow. Another was dragging a writhing Horace-sized sack. He had a large bruise on his leg. The third had a blond-haired girl tied hand and foot, hanging over the saddlebow totally limp. The first man counted them. "alright, everyone's here, time for part 2." The man with the egg lumps raised a hand. "Can't we have coffee first?"

**DUN DUN DUN!**

**As always, thanks for reading, and please review (not that I really care, having readers is enough). Next chapter has some will-whumping, probably a round with a big stick, and lots of angsty Will and Halt and Gilan. Unsure how many more chapters there'll be, if I haven't "written myself into a corner" so to speak. Sorry this one's so short. Next chapter this afternoon.**


	3. Chapter 3

The commander sighed inwardly. He should have known SOMEONE would have asked for coffee. It was the favored beverage among the group. "you can have coffee AFTER we take care of this business" he said through gritted teeth. Pulling out a wicked bluish knife from the double scabbard hanging at his hip, and a length of rope about 10 feet long from the pack on his back, the leader turned to the others. "alright, here's the plan.."

Back at the log cabin, Halt and Gilan were sitting at the table. Will lay unmoving on the cot placed nearby. Halt sighed as he mixed 4 spoonfuls of honey into a cup of coffee, the way Will always liked it. Halt sat down on the bed next to Will, opened Will's mouth gently, and spoonfed him some coffee. That would get him awake faster than anything, he thought, remembering the day that Gilan had given Halt's secret coffee stash to Will. And he was right. After a few mouthfuls, Will weakly pushed Halt's hand away and muttered something along the lines of "Crowley, no, go 'way."

_Crowley…? What does Crowley have to do with this?_ Halt wondered. He held Will's mouth open and put in some more coffee. This time Will's eyes blinked open. "Crowley, go 'way, I'm not going to do it." He said before closing his eyes again. Gilan came over and put 3 spoonfuls of honey right in Will's mouth. Halt glared at his former apprentice. "was that really necessary, Gilan?" Halt asked. "I just want him to wake up enough to tell me what the heck happened to him, and start being sensible again so that he can tell me if he's hurt or not. I DON'T want him bouncing off the walls." Gilan just shrugged.

Will woke up enough to eat something and talk to Halt. "I don't remember much. Something shot at me, hit my shoulder—It's fine, don't look right now—and then I woke up in a dark room. Someone told me to do something that I never would. That someone's voice was almost identical to Crowley's." Will started coughing and wheezing. After his coughing fit was over, he continued in a raspy voice. "They started... beating me. Giving me hard labor to do. Saying it would all stop once I'd completed the task they gave me." A stray tear ran down Will's cheek as he remembered those horrid months. "I didn't give in until one of them threatened to… to…" Will choked up again. "I finally agreed and they set me loose in the forest hoping that I'd come back here."

Halt looked at his apprentice, his expression dark and unreadable. "Will. Tell me what it is that you were told to do." His apprentice looked up at him with an expression that Halt hoped to never see again. Pure fear. "Will, it's alright. Nothing will hurt you. I promise. Tell me what it is that made you so scared and what it is that you were told to do." Will shrank back into the cot and lowered his gaze. "they t-t-told me to find you… a-and k-k-kill you….And if I didn't then they would track me down and…and…force me to." Will looked back into his mentor's eyes, his own already brimming with tears again. "I-I'm sorry, Halt."

All of a sudden Will found himself caught up in a bear hug. He yelped in pain, and Halt quickly let go. Gingerly, for fear of hurting the boy, Halt lifted Will's shirt off. He cursed quietly to himself. Will's back was crisscrossed with angry red marks that were oozing blood and pus. Halt gently applied a cream and wrapped a bandage all around Will's torso.

**JUST IGNORE MR. PAGEBREAK HERE, HE'S JUST BEING A PAGEBREAK.**

The 5 men stepped back and admired their handiwork. Both girls were bloodied, with ragged hair and were barely conscious. Horace had a black eye and a split lip and was trying but failing at remaining alert. That should be enough to get the Ranger's attention.

Will, who had recovered somewhat and was sitting at the table sipping coffee with Halt and Gilan, started when he heard the female scream and the horses whinny. All three got up at once, Will stumbling and barely catching himself on the edge of his chair, and crept to the door, where they saw something awful. Will felt like he had been stabbed in the gut. It was Alyss, Jenny, and Horace, tied together, sitting in a pool of blood, maybe their own. Before Will and Gilan knew what they were doing, they had charged out the door towards their friends, with Halt soon following. Of course, in the dim light of the sliver moon, they couldn't make out the tripwire that neatly folded them into a bag with Will's wardmates. Even in the barely illuminated bag, everyone could see the whites of Will's eyes. "They found us. They're gonna kill us." And then Will collapsed again, leaning against Halt.

**I love cliffying you guys. You have the best reactions.**

**Also: 2****nd**** chapter in the same day, I'm beat (It's 11:30 PM here), could you all surprise me with a couple of reviews when I wake up?**

**and NOW do you get the Coffee reference from the last chapter? Review and tell me :P**


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